The Wellington International Airport in New Zealand has painted a giant pride rainbow on the embankment next to their runway to celebrate inclusivity and the hosting of the Wellington Pride Festival from March 8-24 and to welcome delegates attending the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, and Intersex Association (ILGA) World Conference from March 18-22.

Wellington Pride

Every year Tū Whakahīhī e Te Whanganui-ā-Tara celebrates the LGBTQIA+ community with two weeks full of a diverse range of events, performances and activities organised by groups within the community.

The Wellington Pride Festival is organised by a group of elected volunteers from our LGBTQIA+ community, Out Wellington Inc, who are committed to creating an inclusive festival with and for our diverse queer whanau. Please support our community and Festival by donating via give-a-little.

Click here for a full schedule of events.

ILGA World Conference

This year the Pride festival coincides with the ILGA World Conference 18-22 March 2019 held at the Michael Fowler Centre, where an extended welcome is sent to Wellington queer whanau and members of the LGBTQIA+ community from all around Aotearoa and the World.

An ILGA World Conference is where the life of the organisation is shaped, and where LGBTI activists from across the world can come together and discuss about the future of our movement. At the World Conference, ILGA member organisations also elect their representatives, endorse new members and advance proposals and constitutional changes. ILGA conferences have been held since our early days, and still are the premier gathering for our members organisations and allies. They are a chance to assess where communities stand, to share experiences and best practices, build alliances and partnerships, and collectively chart ways to advance equality worldwide.

The next ILGA World Conference takes place in Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington, Aotearoa New Zealand, from 18-22 March 2019.

About the Author

Bryen Dunn is a freelance journalist based in Toronto with a focus on tourism, lifestyle, entertainment and community issues. He has written several travel articles and has an extensive portfolio of celebrity interviews with musicians, actors and other public personalities. He’s willing to take on any assignments of interest, attend parties with free booze, listen to rants, and travel the world in search of the great unknown. He’s eager to discover the new, remember the past, and look into the future.